Emperor's Liberators
"Tyranny, in all of its forms, surrounds this God-given galaxy. It can have pointed ears, or skeletons of chrome. Equipped with cutting-edge warsuits, or ramshackle armor plate. Decorated with unholy runes, or shining purity seals. A tyrant will inevitably wreak suffering on an industrial scale in the name of a collective benefit, the will of a false god, or 'for your own good'. Tyranny, now, and forevermore, will be mankind's greatest enemy. If we do not extinguish tyranny, it will devour us." - Executive Alexis 'Preacher' Jonesson during a chapter gathering on Battlement. The Emperor's Liberators, known formally as the 'Imperatoris Liberatae', are a loyalist Space Marine Chapter created from gene-seed of unknown origins during an Unknown Founding. During their creation Adeptus Mechanicus fleshcrafters made mistakes in the handling of the future chapter's gene-seed. Records of this chapter's founding were destroyed by said officials in order to save careers and the lives of those responsible for said mistakes. This would shape the chapter's fate for years to come. Whether they're inciting a Pro-Imperium rebellion, liberating a world subjugated by the enemies of Man, or fending off a relentless siege, the Emperor's Liberators will not rest until the Emperor's work is finally done. Chapter History Notable Campaigns "Breaking news: the Tau have us surrounded. More at 11." - Franklin 'The Magician' Paradum during a Tau ambush on Hawaius *'Enmity of the Tau (950.M41)' - As part of the efforts by the Adeptus Mechanicus officials to cover up their mistakes, the chapter is sent to a planet called Battlement at the Eastern Fringes. The sector where Battlement resides is promptly cut off to the Imperium via warp storms. The lone battle barge is boarded by the Tau Protector and Merchant fleets, but this attempt would predictably fail. The Tau Admiral, Kor’ro Sky-Reaper, would then order the Battle Barge to be destroyed. It crash lands onto Battlement and kills 150 marines, but 400 of them manage to escape via drop pod onto the surface. *'Settling Mericae (951.M41)' - After barely surviving a series of deadly ambushes by stealth-suits, broadsides, and ghostkeels, the now 280-strong Astartes who dropped onto the planet are hardened veterans forced to utilize stealth tactics and counter-ambush techniques as they fight their way to an unoccupied continent called Mericae. This continent is lead by an army that calls themselves the Agents of Liberty, made up of disillusioned citizens and loyalist PDF and Arbites units. *'Fight for Survival (500951.M41)' - The battle barge crash site is investigated by a sizeable Tau strike force backed by Broadsides, XV8s, and a Riptide. Outnumbering the surviving marines 4:1, the strike force inflicts heavy casualties on the crash site survivors. Only through surviving crew-served battle barge weapons, stalwart defiance, and heavily entrenched defenses are the marines able to repulse the Tau assault. Most of the Tau are eventually killed and the crash site is preserved. The remaining 520 marines and tens of thousands of serfs and tech priests send out a distress beacon to the surviving Astartes. Whether by miracle or the Emperor’s benevolent hand, the battle barge crashed in Mericae, and the entire Astartes chapter eventually reunites. 100 Astartes and most of the tech-priests and serfs stay behind to preserve the ship’s vital systems, gene-seed storage, weapons and vehicles, and the technology to make new astartes. *'Battlement Insurgency (952.M41)' - Now fully introduced to the Agents of Liberty, the astartes and Agents of Liberty formulate plans to retake the planet. Success will entail the full defeat of the Tau Commander Shas'O Yoon and corrupt planetary governess Angelium Marcellus, as well as the kroot, vespid, and gue’vesa. Instrumental in this is the retaking of 4 laser defense silos and 2 Tau ion cannon emplacements, gaining popular support, and gathering the strength to begin a mass-uprising. Inspirational Agents of Liberty, Alexis Jonesson, and astartes chaplains work to whip the vast majority of Battlement’s population into a frenzy through daring raids and secret gatherings. *'The Raid (300952.M41)' - Davidius Clarkeson and a few other Ranger Detachment volunteers lead daring raids to retake seized assets, sabotage critical Tau installations, rescue gue’la in concentration camps, and even steal heavy Tau weaponry. Half of these raids fail and cost the Agents of Liberty and their Astartes allies dearly, but Clarkeson’s raids prove the most successful and secure vital assets for the coming rebellion. The Tau Fire Caste commanders demand investigations for the uptick in violence, and begin heavier crackdowns on all major population centers. *'The Harbingers of Intrigue (350952.M41)' - Seeking valuable allies, the Agents of Liberty task Tedium Nugentus with securing the alliance of an enigmatic cult known as the Harbingers of Intrigue. Their psychic might could turn the tide of the war if utilized, and could also replace the long-dead astropathic choirs who were unable to warn the Imperium of the corrupt planetary governess. Fighting their way through ravenous Kroot and Vespid in the now bombed-out sewers and abandoned ghettos, the Agents of Liberty led by Nugentus and Space Marine scouts manage to find the Harbingers of Intrigue and strike up an alliance with them. *'Tau Counter-Insurgency (953.M41)' - With a powerful array of allies and enough supplies to sustain a planet-wide rebellion, the Agents of Liberty and their astartes allies begin Operation Regaining Freedom, with the overall objective to kick the Tau off of Battlement. The heavy urban combat initially swung in the favor of the Imperials, but Puretide AI helps to assist the Tau in counter-insurgency operations. This culminates in the raid on Abbotium, which kills the head commander of the Agents of Liberty, Omega Ben Lucius. He was being interviewed by Alexis Jonesson. A wounded Jonesson is barely able to escape, but his image is shattered. Heavy collateral damage leads to costly civilian casualties, which sharply reduces popular support for the rebellion. Tau stealthsuits and Hammerhead gunships reap a heavy toll in the cities, with Fire Warriors and their gue’vesa allies slowly clearing resistance in enclosed areas. *'The Slaughter (500953.M41)' - The Imperials attempt to seize the laser silos and Ion cannons, but are stopped dead in their tracks by fierce Tau resistance in the surrounding forests. Broadsides, Crisis suits, and stealthsuits devastate the massed formations of the Imperials. The assaults are called off after 2 weeks of heavy casualties with little results. In one failed raid, Ranger Davidius Clarkeson loses his eye and his entire team is killed except for him. *'The Siege of Alamum (750953.M41)' - Tau forces mount devastating counter-attacks against major Imperial-loyalist strongholds. The Alamum, the largest of these strongholds, breaks under the weight of Riptide-led assaults after a month of relentless combat. Famous Agent of Liberty Davius Crocker is killed in the last stand. Nearly the entire garrison dies during the defense. Tedium Nugentus, frantic to save his personal arsenal and avenge the fort he worked so hard to build, tries to lead a small team behind enemy lines to recover any weapons they can, but the assault fails and half of his team is killed or captured. It would be a huge stain on Nugentus’ honor and a resounding propaganda victory for the Tau water and fire caste. *'The Battle of the Barge (954.M41)' - The first uprising against the Tau fails after a year of bloody setbacks and stalemates. De-spirited and dwindled, the Imperial loyalists retreat to the crashed battle barge to lick their wounds, with the Tau hot on their heels. In what would become known as the Battle of the Barge, the Imperial loyalists pay a bloody price to hold the crash site. The Tau actually manage to breach the perimeter multiple times and heavily damage the defenders with well placed Broadside strikes, but are ultimately forced out of the tight confines of the ship and instead blockade the crash site. *'The Price of Freedom (100954.M41)' - The Agents of Liberty and their astartes allies fight to keep their perimeter intact, but also realize their errors during the first rebellion. Their willingness to disregard civilian casualties as the ‘price of freedom’ and ‘necessary for the greater good’ cost the rebellion dearly in public support, morale, and volunteers. They made themselves look at least as uncaring and ruthless as the Tau. The rebels also couldn’t come up with effective ways to take down the various Tau Battlesuits. Moving in open formations would not be an option for the limited resources of the rebellion. Finally, the Harbingers of Intrigue wasted their time and manpower on strategically irrelevant objectives, rushing in only to secure areas sacred to the cult instead of areas important to the rebellion. The leadership will develop better tactics and place a heavier priority on protecting the lives of both their allies and civilians, if not out of morality then simple practicality. *'Engines of War (955.M41)' - Key assets like thunderhawks, jet-bikes, Rhinos, and 4 Land Raiders are finally rebuilt at the Battle Barge crash site. These vehicles are used to break the blockade around the crash site, and the soldiers and astartes manage to gain footholds in most of the cities on Battlement. The crash site becomes a base of operations for the overall rebellion, and Tau attempts to destroy the HQ would meet consistent failure. *'The Redemption Raid (956.M41)' - Alexis Jonesson redeems himself and his image in the eyes of the public by participating in a raid alongside Davidius Clarkeson to kill a notable Fire Caste commander name Shas’O Reen. Jonesson uncovers the truth that the commander had not only authorized numerous Tau operations that put toxic chemicals in the waters near stubborn Gue’la enclaves to sterilize and/or outright kill the populations, but that Shas'O Reen participated in the Ben Lucius raid himself. After personally killing the Tau commander he interrogated, Jonesson used his expertise in vox-related technology to spread these revelations far and wide, re-igniting mass public support. *'The Kroot Repulsion (200956.M41)' - Tedium Nugentus, using a salvaged autocannon, repulses a massed Kroot and Gue’vesa assault on a key stronghold. This stronghold contained many Imperial and Tau heavy weapons that would later prove instrumental to the war effort. Reinforcements manage to chase the attacking Tau back to their base of operations before melting away into the landscape. Nugentus has kept this autocannon to this day. *'A New Strategy (400956.M41)' - Davidius Clarkeson develops a strategy to distract Tau battlesuits and ultimately destroy a major Tau advantage. Astartes terminators and heavy vehicles will absorb Tau battlesuit fire while Astartes and Agents of Liberty with jump-packs quickly pounce on the distracted battlesuits and destroy them with las-cannons and other heavy weapons. Clarkeson uses his meltagun to destroy dozens of battlesuits alone in the forests surrounding the laser silos. *'Battle of The Redwoods (957.M41)' - The Tau attempt to regain the initiative via deadly ambushes with ghostkeels and stealthsuits in the forests in a bid to cut off the rebellion. The rebellion utilizes new tactics and despite heavy casualties manages to stave off the tide of the Battlesuits and Hammerhead gunships, in addition to precision airstrikes by Thunderhawks or decisive vehicular counterattacks. The relentless battle in the Mericaen forests give these forests a grim nickname: The Redwoods. However, the Imperium isn’t able to push out of these forests for another month. *'The Harbingers Attack (958.M41)' - Though the Tau have more advanced soldiers, they have completely lost their popular support thanks to damning revelations of Tau brutality and steady advances into the cities. The Harbingers of Intrigue also begin using their full psychic potential to devastate the Tau and their auxiliaries. Only drones are able to resist their psychic powers and prevent a full-scale rout. *'Wrath of the Tau (959.M41)' - An overwhelming majority of the cities are now under the control of the loyalist Imperials. Any remaining gue’vesa either leave the cities back to the Tau capital building called Installation T4U-2019 or are killed. Commander Shas'O Yoon requests orbital bombardment to destroy all of the rebellion-held cities. Kor’Ro Sky-Reaper announces that her ships will be in position to launch said bombardments in 5 days. Alexis Jonesson and other Agents of Liberty managed to hack or seize Tau communications from dead Fire Warriors and inform the rebellion of their greatest challenge yet. *'Assault of the Liberators (001-005959.M41)' : The Astartes send their armored units and jump-pack marines to the front lines to seize the first two laser silos, with the Agents of Liberty and Astartes Terminators breaching the interiors. Moderate casualties are reported as the attackers encounter Tau drones and Kroot defenders. Now realizing the objectives of the Imperials, the Tau bring multiple battlesuits to defend the next 2 laser silos and Hammerhead gunships to bolster the infantry defenders. The astartes armored units aren’t enough to break the defensive line, requiring stealthy attacks from hidden heavy weapons units to destroy the Battlesuits and Hammerheads. Despite a heavy cost, the Imperials manage to break the defenses and secure all the laser silos. These laser silos are used to start attacking the Tau fleet, but isn’t enough to deter them. The Ion cannons will have to be taken, but Shas'O Yoon is fully aware of what’s at stake and sends all of his remaining Battlesuits to defend the Ion Cannons. With hours left before a devastating Tau bombardment, the rebellion pours its might into one desperate gamble. A full scale assault is mounted, that is twice repulsed by the fury of the Fire Warriors and their battlesuits. Even gue’vesa and other Tau auxiliaries take to the field, and Shas'O Yoon takes his Enforcer Battlesuit to the field personally, destroying 2 Land raiders alone. Only concentrated fire from Thunderhawks, Terminator Marines, the remaining Land Raiders, Harbingers of Intrigue with their psychic powers (to distract the Tau commander and weaken him), and Agents of Liberty armed with heavy weapons were able to finally take down the especially deadly Battlesuit. Shocked by the death of their commander, the Tau line finally collapsed and the Agents of Liberty and astartes seized the Ion Cannons in bloody CQC battle. The laser silos and Ion Cannons either destroy or completely repel the Tau fleet, though some plasma barrages deal damage to the cities below. *'Victory at Installation T4U-2019 (960.M41)' - After a grueling year of fighting inside the Tau Installation T4U-2019, the remaining Tau resistance is finally eliminated. All gue’vesa are hunted down and brutally executed, as is the corrupt planetary governor. *'Battlement Rebuilds (999960.M41)' - The sector where Battlement resides is finally free of warp storms. Battlement rebuilds as they recover from the war. The Agents of Liberty send more of their best recruits to become astartes, while other aspirants finally finish the implantation process. The astartes chapter, unaware of most of their origins, call themselves the Emperor’s Liberators (a nickname by both the population and the newest astartes recruits). The crashed battle barge is formed into a fortress-monastery titled the Albus Domus, and The Hexagon (nicknamed the 'Hex) is built as a command center for the Agents of Liberty. The Emperor's Liberators swell to 2500 marines, disregarding the codex restrictions. Davidius Clarkeson, Alexis Jonesson, and Tedium Nugentus are elected to the rank of Executives of the Emperor’s Liberators despite only recently finishing implantation due to a lack of chapter leadership. Battlement is ultimately turned into a prosperous and well defended planet, but would be sorely tested in the years to come. *'13th Black Crusade (999.M41)' - The 13th Black Crusade begins. Word Bearer and Iron Warrior splinter fleets are taken off course and sent to Battlement thanks to the warp. The Harbingers of Intrigue aid in the invasion of these traitor legions and reveal themselves as a Tzeenchian cult, betraying the Emperor’s Liberators and Agents of Liberty and crippling Battlement’s defenses and killing many. The traitor legions make lots of headway and push all the way to the Albus Domus and The Hexagon, leaving a grisly path in their wake. Slaves are taken and some citizens are converted to chaos. *'Indomitus Crusade (999.M41-111.M42)' **'Second Siege of Battlement (Date Unknown.M42)'- The Albus Domus and The Hexagon are under siege. Much of Battlement’s population is forced underground. The slaves taken by the traitor legions are either liberated by various raids or killed by their vile masters. At great cost, the Emperor’s Liberators and Agents of Liberty create a defensive line called the Liberty Wall. Occasional breaches into the Albus Domus and The Hexagon occur regularly, and are closed after heavy fighting by the defenders. **'Arrival of the Avenging Son (Date Unknown.M42)' - The Indomitus Crusade reaches Battlement by chance, and delivers precious reinforcements. The siege is temporarily broken, until the traitor legions return to the planet months after the crusade breaks up. Battlement becomes the prime recruitment world for the Agents of Liberty and the Emperor’s Liberators. **'Assault of Ceres (Date Unknown.M42)' - Executive Davidius Clarkeson leads a daring drop pod assault to stop a Dark Eldar raid on the planet of Ceres. The small force of astartes buy time for civilian evacuations and inflict heavy losses, but are ultimately killed or captured. Clarkeson and a few others reappear from the same webway portal used by the Dark Eldar months later, frantically sprinting past an Eldar Farseer running in the opposite direction. **'The Oregnon Excoriation (Date Unknown.M42)' - Tedium Nugentus and 100 astartes assist Primaris Lamenters and Celestial Lions in stopping an Ork WAAAGH! on the planet Oregnon. Nugentus’ team storm a series of ork Faktorees to stop Gargant production, but discover the Faktorees are staffed by human slaves. While the 3 Astartes chapters are busy liberating the planet, the orks besiege the Faktorees in an attempt to restart production. Nugentus, his vanguards, and 8 veterans are forced into a large warehouse with 2,000 civilians as they fight this green tsunami for days. Eventually, the dead orks are used to form a wall. Only Nugentus and 4 wounded men remain with the civilians, but their allies finally arrive to relieve them just as all seems lost. Oregnon is purged of the orks a week later, and the 3 astartes chapters form a lasting bond. **'Salvation of Texaum (Date Unknown.M42)' - Alexis Jonesson leads a 200-man strike force to Texaum to retake the planet from the Red Corsairs. Their Battle Barge ‘Old Glory’ is attacked on all sides in a coordinated effort to seize their ship and strengthen the fleet. Clawing his way through the trap, Jonesson forces the damaged ship and its now depleted crew into the atmosphere and leads an all-or-nothing assault to retake the planet with an Astraeus tank as the vanguard. Timely hit and run attacks by thunderhawks and jetbikes whittle down the Corsairs. Jonesson and 89 marines live to see the star-striped fist raised over the compound. **'The Fifth Sphere Expansion (Date Unknown.M42)' - The Emperor’s Liberators are dispatched to repel or at least slow down the Tau 5th Sphere Expansion. One force of them conducts crippling raids against the Tau and derails their entire campaign, retaking the planet. Another force prosecutes a failed siege against a recently seized Tau planet, and is ultimately besieged in turn by the vengeful Tau to this day. The brutal stalemate has yet to be broken, and is the only precarious foothold the Imperium has on that planet. **'The Bostius Excoriation (Date Unknown.M42)' - Tedium Nugentus and 400 marines are caught off guard by the increased brutality of the Tau in the 5th Sphere Expansion. The Tau throw their auxiliaries into mass-wave tactics and slam the beleaguered marines when they managed to dig their way out of the piles of xenos and gue’vesa corpses. However, discovery of gue’la mass graves drive Nugentus’ men into a murderous frenzy and disregard a 60% casualty rate to brutally slaughter every last Tau on Bostius, the previously besieged planet. **'Castigation of Genudine (Date Unknown.M42)' - Davidius Clarkeson leads 100 marines to retake the planet Genudine from the control of a Slaneeshi cult. What seemed like a routine purge went terribly wrong when the Eldar Corsairs and Dark Eldar launched a vicious ambush in the confined hive cities. Despite heavy losses, the mauled force of 68 marines spread out and waged a relentless campaign of ambushes and raids on their assailants. Davidius Clarkeson eventually rallies his forces in a final, desperate melee against the Eldar pirates, Dark Eldar Cabals and Wytch Cults. Clarkeson and his Vanguards took on Cabal Leader Elizabeth Tarka and her cabal Hell Unrelenting and allied Wytches. Although impaled by a staff from Tarka, his rage at the vile Dark Eldar gave Clarkeson the energy to yank the staff forward and demolish Tarka’s skull from a well-aimed powerfist. After an hour-long bloodbath, Clarkeson and 18 grizzled marines would exchange numerous curses with their depleted and retreating Eldar foes. **'Assault of the Undying Legions (Date Unknown.M42)' - The Black Templars, Alexis Jonesson and 80 marines answer an Ecclesiarchy call for aid in defending a Shrine World against a Necron assault. The Sisters of Battle, Templars, and Emperor’s Liberators only defend the temple through a bloody last stand with 75% casualties. Unfortunately, the zealous Templars and Sisters are still suspicious of their allies’ methods of worship... **'Liberation of Calcius (Date Unknown.M42)' - All of Fireteam Bravo begin a campaign to liberate Calcius from the forces of Chaos. The initial lightning raids against Chaos strongholds eventually stop working as chaos cults and heretic astartes begin ferocious counter attacks. After a 2-year grisly defense against countless millions of cultists and 1,500 Emperor’s Children, DevGru reinforcements finally arrive and annihilate the maddened but exhausted heretics. A few million inhabitants are liberated from slavery and chaotic sacrifices, and are eternally grateful. **'Disaster aboard the ''Lady Liberty (Date Unknown.M42)' - The Emperor’s Liberators manage to sway 2 renegade companies of Astartes back to the Emperor’s light and let them onto one of their ships. Unknown to the chapter leadership however, the renegades only feigned loyalty and was aligning itself with Nurgle. They manage to release Ebolanthrax in the Battle Barge ''Lady Liberty, killing 90% of the un-augmented crew and over 50 marines. Furious at the deception, the Emperor’s Liberators spend the next 3 months exterminating the traitors on the Battle Barge in a vicious campaign to retake the ship. **'Defence of the Stygius Sector (Date Unknown.M42)' - In the Stygius Sector, the Emperor’s Liberators were deployed to defend the planet of Alpha Phi-06 from the might of the Thousand Sons and their Tzeenchian allies. However, the archenemy was too powerful, and made critical progress in conquering the planet. The Emperor’s Liberators then prioritized evacuating civilians, but a quarter way into the evacuation their Strike Cruiser ‘Justice’ was heavily damaged by the enemy and picked clean of its crew from a Despoiler-Battleship. Stranded on the planet with 3 million civilians to protect, the remaining 300 Emperor’s Liberators went to ground and formed a global resistance movement. While they inflicted casualties in vicious guerrilla warfare against their Thousand Sons occupiers, the grim calculus of attrition spited their every move. A few psykers managed to hone their astral communication, and send a psychic distress call to the Liberators’ Battle Barge Independence. After a 10-day gruesome last stand, only 76 Emperor’s Liberators and 500,000 partisans would survive to see a task force from the Independence relieve them. Timely air and ground support aided the evacuation of the remaining forces, and reclaimed the Justice from its orbital shackles. With a massive chaos fleet on their heels, the 2 ships finally made a warp jump to Mars for repairs, mauled and exhausted. **'Retribution Against the Tau (95.M42)- '''A joint campaign between the Emperor's Liberators and multiple chapters against a Tau Sept, to be added later. **'Thunderhawk Down (Date Unknown.M42) - An incident on the planet of Tsomal involving Michael Roweson, to be added later. **'The Last Laugh (Date Unknown.M42) - '''A campaign involving the head of the librarius, will be added later. **'The Outbreak (Date Unknown.M42) - 'A campaign involving the head apothecarion. Will be added later. **'The Reckoning (Date Unknown.M42) - ALPHA LEVEL CLEARANCE REQUIRED ' Highly classified information to be revealed at a later date. **'The Gathering (Date Unknown.M42) - ALPHA LEVEL CLEARANCE REQUIRED **'Operation Technological Salvation (Date Unknown.M42) - ALPHA LEVEL CLEARANCE REQUIRED '''Highly classified information to be revealed at a later date. **'The Liberty Crusade (Date Unknown.M42) - Enlightened by 'ALPHA LEVEL CLEARANCE REQUIRED ', the Emperor's Liberators realize what must be done to free humanity. They '''ALPHA LEVEL CLEARANCE REQUIRED. Highly classified information to be revealed at a later date. Chapter Organisation The Emperor’s Liberators are mostly non-''Codex'' compliant. The chapter only utilizes any tactics deemed useful. They hover around 1,776 marines. The chapter is split into 3 semi-autonomous groups: Fireteam Alpha (nicknamed The Deltas), Fireteam Bravo (nicknamed Liberty Lads), and Fireteam Charlie (nicknamed Devastation Group or DevGru for short). There are 3 Executives in the entire chapter, and each one leads a Fireteam. In times of great crisis, the 3 Executives hold a meeting and unite their Fireteams to face the threat. Each Executive is accompanied by 4 members of the Vanguards, highly decorated veterans equipped with some of the best weapons and armor, and second in line for the position of Executive. These men are an Executive’s closest confidants. Each fighting group is maintained by well-treated serfs who may work alongside Battlement’s Imperial Guard Regiment, the Agents of Liberty. The chapter’s fleet, soldiers, and equipment are evenly divided between each fighting group. All Astartes are trained for one of 7 roles: Intercessor, Inceptor, Hellblaster, Reiver, Aggressor, Medic (Apothecary), or Engineer (Tech-Marine). Being proficient in at least one extra role is required. After surviving 100 battles, one becomes a veteran with the right to use terminator weapons and armor. When Guilliman reinforced the Imperium with Primaris Marines, the Emperor’s Liberators saw these reinforcements and their equipment as a Godsend. Cultural assimilation took some time, but the process was smooth. The chapter mostly relied on Thunderhawks, Stormhawks, Jetbikes, and other highly mobile vehicles that fit the chapter’s tactics. Their ability to attack has and still does rely on those vehicles, while heavier or slower vehicles are saved for larger assaults and fighting on defense. After the Primaris reinforcement, the chapter would see the 3 Astraeus and 45 Repulsor tanks as a massive boon to their armory and tactics. The new tanks were devastating AND mobile. The 2 new tanks greatly complement the chapter’s 4 land raiders. Their fleet is made up of 3 Battle Barges, 6 Strike Cruisers, and 9 Gladius escorts, with these assets being evenly split between the fighting groups. The Forge World of Pittsbrigg handles the chapter's logistics out of gratitude to repulsing a Necron tomb awakening on said forge world. Command Ranks *'Executive' - Chapter Master equivalent. *'Vanguard' - Honor Guard equivalent. Seniority is based on time as a Vanguard. *'Doc' - Master of the Apothecarion equivalent. *'Handyman' - Master of the Forge equivalent, senior Techmarine. *'Preacher' - Reclusiarch equivalent, senior Chaplain. *''The'' Magician - Chief Librarian equivalent. *'Emancipator - '''Veteran Equivalent. Seniority is based on time as a veteran. Specialist Ranks *'Medic''' - Apothecary equivalent. *'Engineer' - Techmarine equivalent. *'Librarian' *'Chaplain' *'Flagbearer' - Standard Bearer (Ancient) equivalent. Line Ranks *'Liberator '- Battle-Brother equivalent. Most senior line rank. *'Maverick '- Battle-Brother equivalent. Second in seniority. *'Vigilante '- Battle Brother equivalent. Rank given to fully fledge astartes. *'Ensign' - Scout Marine equivalent. *'Private' - Neophyte equivalent. Combat Doctrine "If we lose this highway we lose the entire city! Don't let the Word Bearers and Iron Warriors breach this perimeter until the city defenses are reinforced!" -Executive Alexis Jonesson during the Battle of Highway 18. The Emperor’s Liberators are specialists in close-quarters combat, stealth, guerrilla warfare, and defending against sieges. Winning an entire revolution against Tau occupation and surviving a relentless chaotic invasion forced these skills to be perfected. The present day sees the chapter constantly fighting against technologically and/or numerically superior foes. Sometimes the stealthy and devastating surprise attacks are enough to win battles and wars, but in many scenarios it falls to the chapter’s ability to dig its heels in and turn their perimeter into an impregnable killzone until help arrives or the enemy is dead. Because the Emperor’s Liberators are constantly in last-stand type situations, it is not uncommon for Astartes of all ranks to use Inferno, Hellfire, Kraken, and Metal Storm bolter rounds. These rounds have shown deadly efficiency against enemy swarms in particular, though no enemy will fare well against the fury of such firepower. When fighting against Chaos, the Vengeance round is brought along specifically to bring down the vile, power armored tyrants of Chaos (though such rounds are also effective against comparatively well armored foes). Although non-veteran personnel don’t have access to combi-bolters, some of them do have access to underslung grenade launchers that fire Krak or Frag rounds. The different types of bolters used by the Primaris Marines are also employed, but include said bullet modifications just in case. In assaults involving vehicles, thunderhawks and overlords will bring the marines into a designated position while providing air support. Jetbikes and other rapid land vehicles will also be used to get marines into position or commit to deadly hit-and-run assaults. Depending on the mission, said marines will sneak into an advantageous position for an ambush, a stronghold to wreak havoc, or a defensive position. In the instance of a massed frontal assault (to liberate occupied planets), a large force made of an Astraeus and multiple Repulsors will advance with thunderhawk and overlord support while reivers and inceptors will conduct stealthy and high speed raids to weaken the enemy. Orbital bombardment is deployed as well, since speed and overwhelming firepower will be needed. Chapter Homeworld: Battlement Battlement is a temperate planet with an un-settled moon and a yellow i0 star. The surface is well-developed but lacks the hive worlds of other more developed planets. It has roughly 2 billion people living in said cities and the surrounding countryside. Further out are thick and far reaching forests, deserts, and ice caps. The planet also has a very large ocean. Fortress-Monastery: Albus Domus, The Hexagon The Albus Domus is the official Fortress-Monastery of the chapter. Originally, it was the remains of a crashed Battle Barge during the Imperial uprising against the Tau on Battlement. However, upon the war's end it was rebuilt into a massive fortress and HQ for the chapter. There's a massive underground bunker complex that can reliably house civilians and soldiers, and cater to their needs and a few desires. The building itself is multiple stories high, with numerous rooms and hallways. The Albus Domus has one massive room that can hold the entire chapter, and is meant to hold important items or hold chapter meetings. The building is encased in ferrocrete, marble, and ceramite. The building is strapped with the remains of crew-served weapons from the wrecked Battle Barge, as well as various additions. Snipers are posted on the building and mounted AA-cannons flank the area. The planetary governor lives in a specially designated room, as do key personnel. The Albus Domus also has the latest in technology designed for the purpose of communications, sensory functions, defenses, and shielding. Some of it is rumored to be salvaged Tau technology. The exact composition of the Albus Domus' technology is highly classified information known only to the highest echelons of command from the Emperor's Liberators. While the chapter uses the often credible excuse that it's for protection against the constant Iron Warriors and Word Bearers sieges, other detractors think the Emperor's Liberators have something to hide. The Hexagon is the command center for both the Chapter and the Agents of Liberty, Battlement's designated Guard regiment. As its name suggests it is in the shape of a Hexagon, but built with the same materials as the Albus Domus and outfitted with the same technology. Chapter Beliefs & Traditions The Emperor’s Liberators worship the Emperor as a divine liberator and freedom fighter for humanity. The various xenos are tyrants who kill and subvert their way to power, but Chaos is a whole different beast. Chaos as a whole is the living embodiment of tyranny, given the nickname ‘The Great Tyrant’. This is due in no small part to Chaos’ ongoing effort to enslave humanity, and their actions during the Horus Heresy. As such, their mission is to continue the Emperor’s mission of freeing humanity from the tyrants of alien or chaotic origin (though the state of the Imperium is an irony not lost on the chapter). Due to Battlement being the chapter’s besieged homeworld, all recruitment and testing takes place on the planet’s battlefields. All volunteers (war leaves plenty of orphans) at least 10 years of age endure tests of the body and soul for 6 months, then treated to a great party and say goodbye to their friends and family. It’s a courtesy to those who likely won’t survive implantation. Throughout the implantation, recruits are expected to be well versed in Terran and historical documents that preach the values of liberty and justice, like 984.M2 and Independence: 776.M2. Knowledge of the Horus Heresy is mandatory. Recruits are trained in stealth, guerrilla tactics, marksmanship, close-quarters combat, survival, evasion, escaping capture, and resisting torture or capture attempts (most xenos races and Chaos worshippers take prisoners!), squad tactics, counter-intel/surveillance, demolitions, psyker training where applicable, and defensive warfare. A veteran astartes leads squads of the recruits in battle, who must remember their training just to survive. These squads always take the most dangerous tasks. This continues until implantation is complete or the recruit dies. Upon the completion of implantation, the recruits are recalled and there’s another massive party. The last step to full initiation requires the recruit to give the following oath: "I, an Emperor’s Liberator, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Divinity of the Imperium of Man against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the God Emperor of Mankind and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of The Imperial Creed. So help me God." Upon giving this oath, they are now fully fledged Astartes of the Emperor’s Liberators. When they are not on mission, they have a set but flexible schedule. Every morning, they have a 1 hour sermon by a chaplain. After that, they recite one of their chapter oaths: “I pledge allegiance to the divinity of the Imperium of Mankind, and to the Imperium for which it stands, one Empire under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” After this pledge of loyalty, they will continue rigorous training to sharpen their skills at whatever role they selected. This training lasts the whole evening. For the last 6 hours of the day, the Astartes have the night to themselves. The date 776.M2 is considered a highly sacred, thus the last 2 digits ‘76 are engraved on their knee pads. An individual Emperor's Liberator is well versed in anti-authoritarian lore and great at telling such stories to their allies. Chaplains especially have essentially memorized famous last stands like the Alamu or otherwise grand acts of defiance against perceived tyrants. A number of Marines are enthusiastic to spread the ideas of freedom and liberty across Tau and Chaos occupied planets, hoping to convert said populations back to the Emperor's Light and give them the emancipation they crave. For this reason, marines are known to practice their oratory skills on a regular basis when off duty. There is also a chapter-wide tournament called Marine Martial Arts, and is hugely popular. It's a test of a marine's unarmed martial prowess, and is fought until a knockout. Another tournament called Marine Blade Arts is a test of skill with bladed weaponry which is fought until first blood, and is equally popular. Champions from these fights are eligible for promotions to veterancy if the other requirements are met, but it's also a method to settle disputes, pass the time, or sharpen skills. Chapter Gene-Seed Their gene-seed origins are unknown. Primarch's Curse: N/A Deathwatch Service The chapter has a healthy disdain for aliens as all Astartes chapters do, but have a frothing-at-the-mouth hatred for the Tau and Dark Eldar. The Deathwatch takes care to use such eagerness to kill these particular xenos to their advantage, and thus the Emperor's Liberators are unusually present on assignments involving these xenos species. Michael "Handyman" Roweson is the most famous Emperor's Liberator to enlist in the Deathwatch, and has fought against slew innumerable Tau and Dark Eldar in his service. Roweson's most famous act was jerry-rigging Tau heavy rail rifles and turning them against other enemy Battlesuits during the revolution on Battlement. As such, he was the perfect man for the job when he was eyed by Deathwatch. Roweson slings a modified railgun on his back in addition to his Barrage Plasma Gun and plasma pistol. These weapons undoubtedly proved useful during his kill-team's deployment against Tau incursions and probes, especially by their vaunted Battlesuits. Chapter Fleet *''Independence'' (Battle Barge) *''Old Glory'' (Battle Barge) *''Lady Liberty'' (Battle Barge) *6 Unknown Strike Cruisers and 9 Gladius Frigates. Chapter Relics *''Avenger'' (Autocannon): This autocannon has existed on Battlement for thousands of years, said to have been crafted in the Horus Heresy. Named after a famous minigun from Terra, this autocannon has a faster rate of fire than many in its class, as well as a heavily modified drum magazine with extended capacity. Tedium Nugentus would gather this weapon as he scrounged for supplies during the revolution, and kept it for himself. He would further modify it over the years, making it have a lighter weight and ultimately mounted on his forearm while maintaining all of its devastating power. From the Alamu to Oregnon, this weapon will never leave Nugentus' side. Mysteriously, this weapon's rate of fire and magazine capacity dramatically improves against Orks, who have named Nugentus "MoarDakka". *''Fire and Fury'' (Combi-Flamer): A master-crafted bolter was built 5,000 years ago for the 5th company Captain of what eventually became the Emperor's Liberators. When this soldier later died, Tedium Nugentus brought it back with his extensively gathered (and illegal) arsenal. Alexis Jonesson at the time preferred his custom built flamer, but couldn't leave such a master-crafted Bolter to waste. After some time with a gunsmith, he built his flamethrower into the Bolter. With tungsten-tipped bolt shells and thrice sanctified promethium, the new weapon has burned and blasted countless foes since its creation. *''Barbecue'' (Combi-Melta): Davidius Clarkeson needed his melta to keep Tau armor and Battlesuits at bay, but stayed frustrated at the massive range that Tau Fire Warriors could engage him at. Clarkeson would be all too happy when he was gifted a custom-built bolter by Tedium Nugentus halfway through the revolution against Battlement's Tau overlords. The bolt shells are lined with special-built depleted uranium rounds while Clarkeson's melta has densely packed gasses with a larger tank. With a larger tank with denser gasses, enemies in close distance are loathe to stay in his way. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Emperor's Liberators primarily wear red, white and blue coloured battle-plate - with red symbolising hardiness, valor and the blood shed by the Chapter's battle-brothers to defend and liberate Mankind; white symbolises purity and innocence; blue represents vigilance, perseverance, freedom, and justice. The helmet, shoulder pauldron trim, coutres (elbow guards), vambraces (forearms), gauntlet, poleyns (knee guards) greaves and sabatons (boots) are all coloured blue. The backpack, gorget (neck guard), plastron (chest guard) and cuisses (thigh armour) are coloured red. The shoulder pauldron insets are coloured white. A vertical white stripe adorns the helmet, while a silver skull on the forehead indicates a battle-brother of rank. A red coloured squad specialty symbol (Tactical, Devastator, Assault and Veteran) stenciled on the right shoulder pauldron inset, indicates a battle-brother's assigned combat specialty. Sometimes a white colour gothic numeral stenciled on the left poleyn indicates company assignment, while a blue coloured gothic numeral stenciled on the right shoulder pauldron inset indicates squad assignment. As the Imperial date, 776.M2 is a date in history that is considered highly sacred to the Chapter, the last two digits '76 are often engraved on each poleyn. Chapter Badge The Emperor's Liberators Chapter badge is a stylised blue coloured clenched fist - a symbol of solidarity and support to express unity, strength, defiance or resistance. On the top of the icon, the High-Gothic word Libertatum is centrally placed, which means 'Liberty'. Below this word are a variety of rows of triple-red coloured stars and alternating rows of red and white bars with three small blue coloured stars placed on these bars. Notable Members * Executive Davidius Clarkeson: Orphaned after a TGB raid during Battlement’s occupation, he immediately joined the then-fledgeling Agents of Liberty and was an eager participant in their missions. He was a distinguished member of the Ranger detachment by the time the Astartes arrived, and one of the first volunteers for gene-seed implantation. Clarkeson was later kidnapped by the Dark Eldar in one of their infamous terror raids on Ceres, but lead a successful slave rebellion in Commoragh and escaped with other enslaved Astartes scouts. Many of these scouts died, and would weigh heavily on Clarkeson’s soul forever. The Dark Eldar to this day have a massive bounty on Clarkeson’s head, and Clarkeson has been forced to ward off capture attempts by the Ork Freebooterz, Dark Eldar, Red Corsairs, and the other nefarious fiends the galaxy has to offer. This drove him to seek better relations with the Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Space Wolves, in an effort to sharpen his skills. He became promoted to Executive of The Deltas, and has a jump-pack as a homage to his time in the Agents of Liberty’s Ranger detachment. Clarkeson also has artificer armor, a power fist, and a combi-melta. * Executive Alexis 'Preacher' Jonesson: Ran a radio station known for its outlandish conspiracy theories. By the time of the Tau occupation, his station became the most popular resistance vox network on Battlement, and was instrumental in gathering public support and backlash against the Tau. First, the Earth Caste-led company named ’Vesa-Book (‘Vesa slang for Gue’vesa) tried to ban him from the vox-waves and wipe away his content. Upon failure, the TGB and gue’vesa allies would attempt many raids to arrest Jonesson, but he’d repulse them or escape. When the revolution came to a head, Jonesson would take up arms and become one of the posterboys for the Agents of Liberty. As a heavily decorated and dedicated soldier, he would be among the first volunteers for gene-seed implantation. Upon full victory, he would discover that a full third of Battlement’s population was either killed or sterilized after the Tau put chemicals into the waters near rebellious areas. His biggest fear was realized: not that his theories would be wrong, but that they were right. After the rebellion, he would stay on-world for a few years to shore up public support against the forces of chaos and kill multiple Chaos champions. He was voted to the position of Executive of Fireteam Bravo, and doubles as the head Chaplain. He has a crozius and a combi-flamer to complement his artificer armor. ).]] * Executive Tedium Nugentus: One of the most ardent advocates of personal liberty, he became incensed at the Tau’s steady erosion of civil liberties over the years. He fervently maintains that it all started when the Tau forbade weapon ownership. Wary of what this decree would inevitably lead to, he began hoarding Imperial las-weaponry as well as ‘Armalite’, ‘Bushmaster’, and ‘Colt’ pattern autoguns, and later became the Agents of Liberty’s prime armorer and supplier of weaponry. His great marksmanship would aid him greatly as he underwent gene-seed implantation as soon as he could, and fought his way through the process to become an Astartes. Upon becoming an Astartes he would carry a relic “Avenger” pattern autocannon (which has given him the nickname MoarDakka by the orks) and a power sword, under the protection of his artificer armor. He currently commands DevGru. * Michael "Handyman" Roweson: Michael Roweson fought for the Agents of Liberty since the earliest days of the rebellion against the Tau. Prior to the war, he was forced by the Tau to join the earth caste and assist in manufacturing of war technology. One of the only reasons they survived was because they managed to commandeer, hijack, and jerry-rig Tau weaponry (including some of their vaunted drones and Battlesuits). Roweson's ingenuity was behind all of these endeavors. Michael was one of the many volunteers for astartes implantation when their space marine allies crashed onto the planet. He would later take a leading role in repairing their many vehicles stuck in the crashed Battle Barge, ensuring the Agents of Liberty and their allies could have greater protection against the Tau. His abilities to hack and hijack Tau weaponry made him a valuable asset during the war, and saved countless lives during the war on Battlement. Upon the war's end, he managed to survive implantation and aided in converting the crashed Battle Barge into a fortress monastery. Roweson engineered critical defenses during Battlement's chaotic invasion, and managed to survive until the Indomitus Crusade arrived. He went to Mars for tech-marine training and returned even more tech-saavy than before, although he had to hide his willingness to utilize xenotech or innovate until he returned to his chapter. Some time later, he was scouted by Deathwatch and became a high ranking tech-marine, who was extremely eager to take on Dark Eldar and Tau threats. His skills were put to the test when his team was tasked with helping the AdMech recover a downed Warlord Titan as the Tau tried to seize it. At great cost and half of his team, the Titan was recovered and many Tau weapons were used to their fullest extent against the enemy. He was rewarded a Barrage Plasma gun by his fellow Deathwatch tech-marines, and augmented his artificer plasma pistol and chainsword. He managed to sneak a Tau railgun back with him as well, and aids his home chapter to this day. Relations Allies You are welcome to add your homebrew chapter or guard regiment as an ally below: *'Celestial Lions ' *'Space Wolves ' *'Salamanders ' *'Lamenters' Enemies You are welcome to add your homebrew xeno faction or chaos warband below: *'Tau' *'Drukhari' *'Chaos' *'Marines Malevolent' - The Emperor's Liberators have an abiding hatred for the Marines Malevolent and any other chapter known for extreme disregard of civilian lives. There are rumors said chapters who earn such ire are designated to be killed on sight. Relations With the Wider Imperium Due to their staunch anti-authoritarian values, the chapter hates the Imperial bureaucracy. The Inquisition and Mechanicus reminds them of the Tau’s TGB (Tau Gue’vesa Bureau) from Battlement's occupation, except they are far more malicious and destructive. Such a hatred has been kept largely a secret from the wider Imperium, with only trusted allies knowing this.Thusly, the Emperor’s Liberators almost never work with the Inquisition or AdMech unless necessary, and keep them at quite a distance. While most Imperial organizations have at least a working relationship with the chapter, the Ecclesiarchy is somewhat fond of the chapter thanks to their fervent (albeit strange) belief in the Emperor. The chapter is on brotherly terms with the Space Wolves, Salamanders, Celestial Lions, and Lamenters. The Emperor’s Liberators appreciate how said chapters value civilian life, in addition to the anti-authoritarian values of the Space Wolves. The tactics of the Space Wolves and Salamanders has left a somewhat lasting impression on how the Emperor’s Liberators conduct themselves. The Emperor’s Liberators are also fully sympathetic to the plight of the Lamenters and Celestial Lions, and seek to work with them whenever possible. The Lamenters and Celestial Lions indeed have rescued the Liberators on a number of occasions. For the most part, they have a decent relationship with most other chapters. A begrudging respect was earned by the Raven Guard, who were fond of the Emperor’s Liberator’s tactics but felt they had more to learn in the finer points of guerrilla warfare and stealth. The tactics of the Raven Guard have indeed begun to rub off on the Emperor’s Liberators. Both chapters were also united in their hatred for the Tau, and that their origins had a few crucial elements in common (fighting for freedom from an oppressive regime). The Black Templars are appreciative of the Emperor’s Liberators’ religious zeal, but are quite baffled and suspicious of the motivations for such faith. However, chapters like the Dark Angels and their successors who value human life a lot less have a more frosty relationship with the Emperor’s Liberators. The Dark Angels (and their successors’) willingness to abandon the field to pursue the Fallen has also left a bad taste.They also have very poor relations with the Iron Hands for the latter chapter’s general demeanor and attitudes. Chapters with especially close ties to the Mechanicus or Inquisition are kept at an arm’s length. As with every Astartes chapter, the Marines Malevolent is despised by the Emperor’s Liberators. An Eldar Farseer on Ceres escaped with her raiding force because the Emperor’s Liberators rushed to the aid of civilians and wounded allies instead. After a fierce disagreement from the Marines Malevolent 3rd Company Captain, the two chapters got into a violent skirmish that had to be broken up by the Ultramarines. Since that day, the Marines Malevolent and the Emperor’s Liberators have orders to kill each other on sight. Notable Quotes By the Emperor's Liberators Please feel free to add your own About the Emperor's Liberators Feel free to add your own Gallery IMG_1097.jpg|Initial artwork for the Emperor's Liberators File:Emp's Liberators Termi.png|An Emperor's Liberators Veteran Marine. (Credit to Algrim Whitefang). File:Scout Alexis Jonesson.jpg|Alexis Jonesson as a Scout Marine. File:Scout Tedium Nugentus.jpg|Tedium Nugentus as a Scout Marine. File:Scout Davidius Clarkeson.jpg|Davidius Clarkeson as a Scout Marine. Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Founding Category:Unknown Geneseed